Trolley-retriever.



F. A. WASSON.

mun RETRIEVER. APPLICATIUN FILED MYAY1Z| 1913- Patented Apr. 18,1916.

nr/vwaswasf the trolley wire.

FRANK A. WASS ON, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

TROLLEY-RETRIEVER.

Application filed May 12, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I FRANK A. WASSON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of \Visconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Retrievers, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which are a part of this specification.

This invention has for its object to provide means for automatically lowering an electric railway trolley to a position where it will produce no injury to the overhead structure in the event of the trolley leaving It is necessary that the trolley wheel be held firmly against the trolley wire in order to maintain a proper electrical connection therewith and that the electrical connection therewith and that the trolley be permitted to have a swinging movement in order that it may maintain such connection notwithstanding the variation in the elevation ofthe trolley wire due to its distant points of suspension. WVhen the trolley leaves the wire it swings upwardly with force and unless immediately retracted is liable to cause damage to the overhead structure or receive injury therefrom.

The present invention is designedto utilize compressed air from the usual air brake system or from any other source for automatically retracting the trolley when it makes a sudden upward movement on leaving the wire, without interfering with the slower swinging movements of the trolley in maintaining its connection with the wire.

More particularly the present invention relates to the construction of the air cylinder and its cooperating piston in a trolley retriever of the type shown and described in my co-pending application for Letters Patent Serial Number 732,658, filed November 21, 1912, which resulted in Letters Patent No. 1,143,002, dated June 15, 1915.

The invention consists in the cylinder and piston construction whereby a dashpot effect is produced at the end of the power stroke and thus preventing the trolley being withdrawn with such violence as to cause injury to itor the car roof.

With the above and otherobjects in view the invention consists in the trolley retriever .as herein claimed and all equivalents.

In the accompanying drawings which represent a sectlonal elevation of a trolley re- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

Serial No. 767,017.

triever constructed in accordance with this lnvention; 1 indicates the trolley frame which is pivotally mounted .at 2 within a slot of a rotatable base 4 and between a pair of upstanding brackets 3, only one of which is shown. The base 4 has a ball bearing connection 5 within a ring 6 adapted to be fastened to the roof of the car. Coil springs 8 connect the upper ends, not shown, of the trolley frame 1 with the upper ends of brackets 3 for holding the trolley in its engagement with the wire.

A cyllnder 9 is mounted on the trolley base 4: and contains a piston 10 with its connecting rod 11 connecting with a stud 12 on the frame 1 at some distace above the pivotal connection 2. The swinging movements of the trolley on the pivotal connection 2 cause reciprocating movements of the piston with in the cylinder. A passageway 13 leads from swivel pipe connection 14 at the center of the trolley base 4: which is supplied with compressed air from the compressed air reservoir of the air brake system or other supply by pipe 15. The passageway 13 at the end of the cylinder continues through the cylinder head to the center thereof where it the valve casing against a shoulder 19 and a bushing 20 forms a lining for the larger chamber of the valve casing. A valve member21 fits within the bushing 20 at one end .wlaich is of larger diameter and its other ,en

of smaller diameter freely passes through the bushing 18, while its conical intermediate portion fits upon the valve seat of bushing 18 to close the passageway through the valve casing. The valve is held in its seated position by the pressure of a spring 22 contained therein and engaged at its outer end by a set screw 23. A. gasket 24 secured between the edge of a screw cap 25. and the edge of the valve casing on which it is threaded forms a seat for an annular flange on the outer face of the larger end of the valve member to prevent the leakage of air past the valve when the valve is in its outer or open position.

The pressure of spring 22 under the ad justment of the set screw 23 is such that the pressure conveyed to the inner end of the valve casing from the compressed air reservoir through passageway 13 is insufficient to move the valve ofi' of its conical seat, and consequently atmospheric pressure only is contained within the cylinder. The slight variations in pressure due to the slow reciprocating movements of the piston from the ordinary changes in elevation of the trolley wire are insuliicient to produce a change in position of the automatic valve, for the automatic valve is provided with a leakway consisting of a small opening 27 therethrough and the set screw 23 has a central opening 28. The vent or breathing passage for the cylinder is therefore through passageway 17, opening 27 in the valve and opening 28 in the set screw. When, however, the piston is given a quick movement .in the cylinder due to the trolley leaving the wire and moving upward, these breathe passageways are insuflicient to relieve the pressure in the cylinder incident thereto and such pressure acting upon the inner face of thelarger portion of the valve member is suflicient with the assistance of pressure of air from the pressure reservoir against the smaller portion of the valve to move the valve and hold it tightly against its gasket 24, preventing leakage of pressure thereby. This opening of the valve, however, admits the high pressure air from the compressed air reservoir to the cylinder through passageway l7 and its action upon the piston 10 is to immediately lower the trolley to the position shown.

The spring 22 does not bear directly against the valve member, but bears against a flanged head 29 of a rod 30 which passes out through the opening 28 of the set screw 23 and also through an opening in a protecting cap 31 threaded on the screw cap 25 and surrounding the set screw and this rod 80 has a wire or other suitable connection 32 extending to a position within convenient reach of the motorman so that when he desires to withdraw the trolley in order to pass construction work or for any other reason it is only necessary for him to pull on said connection and thus remove the pressure of spring 22 from the valve member 21, permitting the pressure of compressed air against the smaller end of the valve member to move the valve member to its open position and thus cause the trolley to be withdrawn under the pressure of air in the cylinder. In order that the trolley may be released from its lower position in which it is forced and held by the compressed air in the cylinder, a three-way cook 33 is provided phere.

in the compressed air supply pipe 15 and by means thereof the supply of compressed air to the automatic valve may be shut ofi and the valve casing opened to the atmos- This permits of the exhaust of the compressed air in the valve casing'and the cylinder, permitting the spring 8 to restore the trolley to its normal condition and per mitting the spring 22 to return the automatic valve to its seated position. After the automatic valve is seated the three-way cook 33 is returned to its normal position as shown and the device is again ready for operation.

The open end of the cylinder is provided with a ring at and with an annular flange 35 or tube extending within the cylinder to loosely fit a flanged extension 36 of the piston and forming between it and the wall of the cylinder a pocket or dashpot to cushion the outward movement of the piston and prevent the trolley being thrown with force against the car roof. A cup-shaped leather gasket 37is provided at the extension 35 of the piston similar to the leather gasket'38 around the piston proper and the piston travels on these two varying surfaces without having metallic bearing surface against the cylinder. The gasket 37 is held in place by means of a flanged ring 39 with an inner flange extending in one direction and an outer flange extending in the opposite direction. The inner flange of this ring 39 forms the loose fit for the piston extension 36 around the tube 35 while the outer flange thereof is adapted in the outer position of the piston to bear against a leather or other suitable gasket 40 secured to the inner face of ring 84 and which forms a flap valve for an opening 41 through said ring to freely admit air to the space between the ring and the piston ex tension during the inner movement of the piston. During the outer movement of the piston under the action of the compressed air in the cylinder the flap valve remains closed and the space between the piston extension and the ring 34: forms a dashpot to cushion the end of the stroke of the piston. The flange of ring 39 which bears against gasket 40 assists the gasket 38 of the piston in preventing the leakage of compressed air during the time the trolley is held in its lower position by the compressed air in the admitted to the cylinder when the trolley leaves the wire and is then confined against leakage.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a trolley retriever, a pressure fluidoperated trolley-swin ing motor comprising a cylinder and cup-siaped piston working therein, a connecting rod connected with the piston and adapted for connection with the trolley, a ring secured to the open end of the cylinder, and a flange projecting from the ring parallel with the walls of the cylinder and adapted to form a ocket within which the edge of the piston ts in the outward movement of the piston to constitute a dashpot for cushioning the end of the movement of the piston.

2. In a retrieving trolley, a pressure fluidoperated trolley-swinging motor comprising a cylinder, a cup shaped piston working therein, a connecting rod connected with the piston and adapted for connection with the trolley, an internally flanged extension on the piston, a ring secured to the open end of the cylinder and having an annular flange to receive the piston extension between it and the walls of the cylinder, a cup-shaped gasket on the piston proper bearing against the walls of the cylinder, and a cup shaped gasket on the flanged extension of the piston bearing on the walls of the cylinder, said gaskets serving to hold the piston out of contact with the cylinder.

3. In a retrieving trolley, a pressure fluidoperated trolley-swinging motor, comprising a cylinder, a piston working therein, a connecting rod connected with the piston and adapted for connection with the trolley, an internally flanged extension on the piston, a cup shaped gasket on the piston proper bearing against the walls of the cylinder, a cup shaped gasket on the flanged extension of the piston bearing on the walls of the cylinder, said gaskets serving to hold the pistons out of contact with the cylinder, a flanged ring secured to the flange of the piston extension, a ring secured to the end of the cylinder, a tubular projection on the ring extending within the cylinder and having the flanged ring loosely fitting therearound, and a gasket on the inner face of the ring at the end of the cylinder adapted to be engaged by the flange of the flanged ring to prevent the escape of pressure fluid in the outer position of the piston.

i. In a retrieving trolley, a pressure fluidoperated trolley-swinging motor, comprising a cylinder having an open end, a piston working therein, a connecting rod connected with the piston and passing through the open end of the cylinder and adapted for connection with the trolley, an annular flange carried by the piston, a ring at the end of the cylinder, and a gasket on the inner face of the ring adapted to have the flange of the piston fit thereagainst to prevent the loss of pressure fluid in the outer position of the piston.

5. In a retrieving trolley, a pressure fluidoperated trolley-swinging motor,comprising a cylinder, a piston working therein, a connecting rod connected with the piston and adapted for connection with the trolley, an internally flanged extension on the piston, a cup shaped gasket on the piston proper bearing against the walls of the cylinder, a cup shaped gasket on the flanged extension of the piston bearing on the walls of the cylinder, said gaskets serving to hold the piston out of contact with the cylinder, a flanged ring secured to the flange of the piston, a ring secured to the end of the cylinder, a tubular projection on the ring extending within the cylinder and having the flanged ring loosely fitting therearound, a gasket on the inner face of the ring at the end of the cylinder adapted to be engaged by the flange of the flanged ring to prevent the escape of pressure fluid in the outer position of the piston, there being an opening through the ring at the end of the cylinder with which the gasket on the inner face of said ring serves as a flap valve freely admitting air to the dashpot formed between the piston extension and said ring during the inward movements of the piston and preventing the escape of air therethrough during the outward movements of the pis-,

ton.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

' FRANK A. VVASSON. lVitnesses:

R. S. C. CALDWELL,

KATHERINE HOLT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for-five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

